A Celebration of The Dude... by three dudes

March 6 is a special day of the year for the guys here at A&T. For it was on this day (or thereabouts), twenty years and a few acid flashbacks ago, that the world first met The Dude. Or El Duderino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing. As with most great works of art, the film in question was not appreciated immediately upon release (perhaps a source of subconscious inspiration for the drinks that follow). Over time, however, it has evolved from a late-night, dorm room classic to a national treasure. No, seriously - in 2014 the Library of Congress selected it to be added to the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance. While that's just, like, their opinion, man, we get it. So today, on the Day of the Dude, we honor The Big Lebowski.

For Repeal Day, a celebration of creation... sorta. Introducing the Graveyard of Empires

The subject of today's post is irony.

Specifically, the irony of a cocktail with the nickname of a place where you can't buy alcohol. The irony of a cocktail--image of refinement and the subtle interplay of flavors--named after a country at war.

Specifically, the Graveyard of Empires.

Before anyone starts heating up the righteous indignation, I should point out that this isn't an Afghanistan joke, it's a colonialism joke.

The actual origin of "graveyard of empires" as a nickname for Afghanistan is obscure, but it's not something the Afghans themselves invented--rather it was applied by one colonial power or another in bitter recognition that they had joined the roster of centuries' worth of invaders who had tried and failed to hold on to the country. Most recently the roster has included the British, Soviets and--dare we say it--Americans, but the succession of attempts goes back at least as far as Alexander the Great, long before there was a nation on the map with the name "Afghanistan." Regardless, the political accuracy of the term isn't at issue;

Saffron is.

One for the Road... the Old Diplomat

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, John presents an original: the Old Diplomat.

Background 
Back in June our friends over at Cait+Tiff presented me with a small but thoughtful gift: a bottle of Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters. Never having worked with chocolate bitters before, I immediately started researching and testing recipes, including a variation of the Sparrow, a distant cousin of the Boulevardier. The great thing about new ingredients, of course, is that it sparks the imagination.

A few weeks later in July, I did a shoot with Tiff at Samai, a local rum distillery here in Phnom Penh. In between takes, our host Daniel let me try some of the high end rums Samai keeps on hand for inspiration. Being something of a rum novice, it was an eye opening experience. There was one bottle in particular, Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva, that I just could not get out of my head.

One for the Road... Fish House Punch

In "One for the Road", one of the guys takes a quick run at a topic for your reading pleasure. Themes will vary, from classic drinks to hand-crafted ingredients and creations of their own, or whatever suits them at the moment. This go around, John presents the Fish House Punch.

First off, hot damn it is good to be back. Happy Repeal Day, everyone!

Background
As we approach the holiday season, my love of cocktails is met with the cold hard reality that when I'm at or hosting a party, I can't always spend the whole evening tending bar. There's that whole socializing thing to consider, too. So how do you balance your need to create well crafted and tasty beverages for your friends with the desire (social obligation?) to actually converse with them? Enter the punch.

I was faced with this very dilemma at Thanksgiving this year, and elected to go with the Fish House Punch. The recipe dates back to 1732, to the Schuylkill Fishing Company of Pennsylvania. 1732! George Washington is said to have had a cup or two of this in his day. So this isn't just a punch recipe, it is a time machine!